Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2004).

From England:

17th June 2004.....................immediate release.

Home Office figures have confirmed the attempt to remove self-contained gas cartridge airguns from the streets has failed. In answer to a parliamentary question, Home Office minister Caroline Flint said just over 1500 of the guns, many of which bear the trade name "Brocock", have been surrendered to the police and less than 6000 have been registered on firearm certificates. From manufacturers' figures, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) estimates there could be up to 68000 airguns of this type still in circulation.

Mike Eveleigh, senior firearms officer at BASC said "We have been warning the Home Office for some time that action was needed or this policy was destined to fail. We urged them to extend the deadline to either hand-in or register these guns but they refused. Now our worst fears have been confirmed - there are tens of thousands of these guns still around, and because of the heavy-handed approach of the Home Office they are likely to end up in hands of criminals. It is now essential that the Home Office makes it a policy not to prosecute for possession of one of these guns unless there is evidence of criminal intent. This would allow many of the guns to be handed in or licensed. There are many people who are still unaware of the change in the law because of a lack of publicity".

Self-contained gas cartridge airguns are low-powered airguns which use a system where an airgun pellet and the charge of gas or air which fires it are contained in a single cartridge. They can be converted to fire live rounds, and were singled out in the Anti-Social Behaviour Act (2004). The Act made it an offence to sell or give away the guns in January, and from the 30th April it became illegal to possess one without a valid firearms certificate.

Mike Eveleigh said "There is a minimum five year prison sentence for possession of this type of airgun. Before the Act they were available for sale over the counter with no registration. In themselves they are not dangerous, but there is a potential for conversion to fire live ammunition. So the Home Office has succeeded only in creating a huge stockpile of illegal guns. It is time this was put right." ENDS.

NOTE TO EDITORS: In answer to a question in parliament, Caroline Flint confirmed that 1,524 self-contained gas cartridge airguns have been surrendered, and 5,791 entered on firearm certificates. Click here to see Hansard.